zachary r. lewis

Zachary R. Lewis

I'm a postdoctoral associate in the Dunn Lab at Yale University.
My research concerns the evolution of development. I study comparative genomics and how organogenesis is evolutionarily and ecologically patterned.

What I Do

I am interested in the evolution and development of morphology, with an emphasis on the development of ecologically-relevant traits. I focus on organogenesis because organ development is a highly integrative process in which I can simultaneously explore evolution, development, and ecology. Currently I am a Postdoctoral Associate at Yale University

Comparative genomics.
Utilization of long read sequencing and genome scaffolding approaches to understand animal evolution and the evolution of genomes.

Lungless respiration.
Studying the molecular adaptations that facilitate respiration in salamanders without lungs.

Lung development in lungless salamanders.
What are the developmental and genetic mechanisms that account for lunglessness in salamanders? Most salamanders have undergone an evolutionary loss of lungs. There is little known about how such a loss is genetically or developmentally achieved.

Pleiotropic interactions between the lungs and heart in the development of the cardio-pulmonary system.
Does lung loss have pleiotropic effects on the development of the heart? Despite clear circulatory changes that must accompany lung loss, there is little information on the associated changes to the heart and how these changes may be developmentally patterned.